A downtown West Chester restaurant that took two years to build has closed its doors after being open for roughly a year and a half.
Asiatique Bistro and Lounge, 9228 Centre Pointe Drive, opened in July 2010 and was reported closed by Polly Campbell of the Cincinnati Enquirer Thursday.
Asiatique chef Peng S. Looi designed and based his West Chester restaurant off two award-winning restaurants he owns in Louisville.
“We served our last dinner on Tuesday and it has been a challenging year,” Looi said. “The stress has affected my health along the way.
“Besides the economy, Asiatique is only a small handful of independents in a sea of chains serving mediocre food. But West Chester residents seem to enjoy those standards, so many of the independents in the area have closed.”
Below is a description of the restaurant provided by Campbell when the restaurant opened:
This is the first location out of Louisville for chef Peng S. Looi, who owns two restaurants there – the casual, contemporary Chinese August Moon Bistro and more upscale crossover Asiatique. Both are well-regarded in Louisville, having won “Best Asian Restaurant” designations and solidly positive reviews. Bon Appetit put Asiatique on its “Best 125 Restaurants” list in 2005.
Looi was born in Malaysia, and he blends the cuisines of many Asian countries. Asiatique includes items such as slow-cooked barbecued pork ribs and pickled root vegetables, five-spiced pork tenderloin chop, asian chicken wings with pineapple, duck, goat cheese and hoisin salad, hot and spicy crispy tofu, beef and spicy orange with grand marnier sauce.
The West Chester restaurant will be between the Louisville restaurants in price and style, with an average check of $30 per person. Looi had originally hoped to open in December 0f 2008, but construction delays held him up.
The restaurant held numerous events during its short stint in West Chester. Most recently, Asiatique held its second New Year’s Eve celebration.
